Venus

What does retrograde mean?

Retrograde is an optical effect: as Earth and another planet orbit the Sun at different speeds, the outer planet can appear to slow down, reverse direction ('station retrograde'), and later resume its normal forward motion ('station direct'). It isn't a change in the planet's actual path — only how its motion looks from Earth. Classically, a retrograde period is read as a time to revisit, reconsider, or slow down matters ruled by that planet, rather than starting new ones. The Sun and Moon never retrograde; Rahu and Ketu are treated as always retrograde by convention, so they're excluded from this tracker.